Police: 7 arrested after protesters block Crosstown

Seven people were arrested Tuesday night after police said demonstrators blocked traffic on the Crosstown.

The protesters, part of the Fight for $15 movement, are being charged with disorderly conduct, according to Charleston Police spokesman Charles Francis.

The protest has since ended, he said.

Shortly before 7 p.m., police said approximately 15 protesters had moved from the sidewalk in front of the Taco Bell on Spring Street to the Crosstown.

A group of 30 to 40 Fight for $15 protesters had assembled earlier at the Spring Street McDonald's location before moving to the Taco Bell.

Police were directing traffic around the protesters, Francis said.

Similar protests have occurred across the country as part of a campaign by the group Fight for $15 to demand a higher minimum wage and union representation for fast-food workers, home health aides, child care teachers, airport workers, adjunct professors, retail employees, according to the group's website.